Method of removing dirt and manure from fresh hides



Jan. 20 1959 H. w. BODE 2,869,350

METHOD OF REMOVING DIRT AND MANURE FROM FRESH HIDES Filed July 5, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l OUTSIDE OR HAIR SlDE OF HIDE COVERED W\TH DIRT AND OTHER FOREIGN MATERIALS NOTE REMOVAL OF mm AND OTHER FOREIGN MATERIAL, SIMULTANEOUSLY EFFECTS INIIMUPUTTING OUT" OF HIDE Jan. 20, 1959 H. w. BODE 2,86

METHOD OF REMOVING DIRT AND MANURE FROM FRESH HIDES Filed July 5, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Hmz'y 177.200; i

United States Patent ."cc

2,869,350 METHOD 0F REMOVING DIRT AND MANURE FROM FRESH HIDES Application July 5, 1957, Serial No. 670,266 3 Claims.v (CI. 69-21) .:This. invention relates generally to the art of leather tanning but refers more particularly tothe treatment of fresh green hides prior to the; actual tanning process.

Heretofore it has been customary for fleshing of hides to, take place at the tannery, as a, part of the tanning process. After the hides were skinned, they were salted on the flesh side at the packing house, and after a period 'of time were sent to the tannery with particles of flesh, as well as dirt and manure, adhering to them. This has been a long standing procedure in the leather tanning industry, and apparently has never been challenged as an 'ineflicient and uneconomical Way of operating.

It would be more profitable for all concerned, however, if the hides were to be fleshed at the packing house, as :soon as they are removed frointhe slaughtered animals and before they are salted. This procedure is advantageous because it materially reduces the cost of shipping the hides, for approximately 25% of the weight of a shipment of unfleshed hides represents 'flesh and fat particles and foreign matter which is useless to 'the tannery. However, the flesh and fat particles adhering to the hid-es have value to the packer if they can be recovered at the packing plant while the hides are fresh, since they can be converted into fertilizer and other by-products.

The fleshing of fresh hides becomes a complicated and uneoonomical operation if the hair side of the hide has clumps of manure and other dir-t adhering thereto, as is frequently the case. The green hide is soft and supple when fresh, and if it is passed across the supporting surface of a fleshing machine, the lumps of manure and other foreign matter on the'hair side of the hide cause bulges which are struck by the fleshing knives, with the result that the hide is likely to be cut and damaged by the fleshing knives at the point Where the lumps and bulges occur. Hence it is essential that some economical and efiicient method be provided for removing manure and other clotted and clumped foreign matter from the hair side of hides, in order to enable packing houses to accomplish the fieshing of fresh hides; and accordingly it is an object of this invention to provide a simple, inexpensive and expeditious method of removing manure and the like from fresh green hides.

It is another object of this invention to provide a method of removing manure and other foreign matter from the hair sides of fresh green hides, which method may be practiced by means of inexpensive automatic machinery, and particularly by means of a machine which also accomplishes fleshing of the hide in a subsequent operation, so that packing houses may enjoy the benefits of utilizing the by-products derived from the fieshing operation. and so that both packing houses and tanneries may readily derive the benefits of having hides cleaned and fleshed before they are salted.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description pnoceeds, this invention resides in the novel method hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the 2,869,350 Pa ented deal 20,. 19.5.9

2v hereindisclosed invention, may be made as. come within thescope ofthe claims.

The accomp ny g. drawings i ustra e. se eral; com plete examples of the practice of the method of this in-v vention according to the best modes; so fardevised; for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is, a perspective view of; apparatus. embodying one mode of. practic ng he method ottbis inventi n. with a hide in position to have the Cleaning method; practiced thereon;

Figure 2 P pe t e, ew, of. h apparatus shown in Figure but, ho ng he hide aft r a substanti l: n ttion h e t a en; ubi cd' o l an ng: by: e method; of invention,

Figure s. a e e di grammatic: pe pective. view of another apparatus for practicing the pnocess, of this invention; and i e i di gramma i n i w ft he app r t shown in Figure 3.

ferr ng o e; p i ular x to he ccompany n dr w gs, e mer 5 des nates; en rally e hav ing a number of clots or clumps, 6 of manure or other, or sn at ri adhe ng-- t h r side. n. e. pra mic of. he me hod of t i v nt n h ma ure s re:

' m ed: mathe bid h le he hide s. re h. nd: so t.

and preferably very shortly after it is skinned an of the carcass, and as a preparation of the hide for fleshing.

In the mode of practicing the method of this invention illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, "the hide is laid flatwise over a flat plate 7, with the hair side of the, hide uppermost. A clamping strip 8 cooperates with one edge of the plate to clampingly grip the marginal edge portion of the hide at one end thereof and thus confine the hide against displacement relative to the plate. Removal of manure from the hide is accomplished by striking its hair side with the edge portions of a succession of blades moving rapidly in one direction and which engage the hide in a zone extending across the hide transversely to the direction of motion of the blades, said zone being progressively advanced along the length of the hide by relative translatory motion between the hide and the blades to effect cleaning of all portions of the hide.

Preferably the blades are mounted on a roller-like rotor 10, with each blade 11 projecting substantially radially from the roller as viewed from the end thereof. The length of the rotor is at least suificient to extend entirely across the width of a hide, and each blade extends the full length of the rotor and is preferably curved or bent along its length so that its medial portion 12 is ahead of its remote end portions 13 in the direction of rotor rotation. Obviously each individual blade might be formed of two or more shorter blade segments, and it Will be understood that when the term blade is used herein, it is intended to embrace either a single continuous blade or one comprising a plurality of short segments disposed in substantially end to end relationship.

As the rotor rotates, the several blades thereon have their edges successively brought into impinging or striking relationship with the hair side of the hide in a zone which extends across the hide. The rapid beating action of the blades knocks loose any manure or other clumps of foreign matter adhering to the hide, and by the centrifugal action of the rotating blades flings such matter away from the hide. As the rotor rotates it is translated lengthwise of the hide (or the hide is translated in a direction normal to the rotor axis) so that the zone in which the blades are impinging against the hide is progressively moved along the hide to cause the blades to be successively engaged with all portions of the hair surface thereof.

At the same time that the hide is being cleaned by the rotating blades, it is also being smoothed or put out by aseasso reason of the curvature of the blades along their lengths. The medial portion of-each blade engages the hide before the remote end portions of the blade engage it, with engagement of the hide by each blade progressing continuously outwardly from the center of the blade to its ends, so that the action of the blades pulls the hide away from the clamped edge thereof and outwardly from its middle to its side edges.

In the mode of practising the invention illustrated by Figures 3 and 4, the blade carrying rotor 10 is rotated on a fixed axis and the hide is moved relative to said rotor by means of a pair of oppositely rotating feed rollers 15 and 16 which engage the hide and draw it through the zone of impingement of the blades 11. Under the rotor the flesh side of the hide engages a smooth cylindrical roller 17 which supports the hide for impingement by the blades 11. It will be seen that the mode of practising the invention illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 is essentially identical with that illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 inasmuch as relative movement between the hide and the rotating blade rotor is effected in both cases.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that a fresh green hide, when cleaned by the method just described, is in condition to be passed immediately to a fleshing mechanism, which may comprise a part of the same machine whereby manure removal is accomplished or may comprise a separate machine.

From the foregoing description taken together with the accompanying drawings, it will be apparent that this invention provides a method by which manure may be and tanners.

I claim:

1. In the process of tanning leather, the characterizing steps of simultaneously putting out a fresh, green unsalted hide just as it is when first skinned 01f a carcass and removing manure therefrom; immediately thereafter fleshing the hide; and then salting the hide.

2. In the process of tanning hides, the characterizing steps of removing manure from afresh green hide, then fleshing the hide, and thereafter salting the hide.

3. The method of preparing fresh green hides for tanning, which comprises: drawing the hide while it is in its fresh green state just as it is when first skinned from the carcass, edgewise along a defined path; as the hide is being drawn along said path, putting out the hide to straighten it, and removing manure from its hair side; thereafter fleshing the hide to rid it as much as possible of the flesh and gelatinous material on its flesh side; and then salting the hide.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 850,146 Ernst Apr. 16, 1907 

